AFIA offers Regulatory 101 feed course for new employees

The American Feed Industry Association is offering its Regulatory Training Short Course on November 20-21, 2013, in Arlington, Va. New in 2013 is a half-day Regulatory 101 Pre-session for individuals new to the regulatory field.
This program is an opportunity for regulatory professionals in the feed, ingredient and pet food industries to come together to develop the skills necessary to lead their company through the regulatory maze. This program is designed for regulatory directors with several years' industry experience and will cover advanced topics and regulatory strategies.
The 2011 program had experts from the United States Food and Drug Administration, Association of American Feed Control Officials as well as leading private industry experts.

2013 version of the Egg Bill introduced in Congress

The 2013 version of the Egg Bill mandates a move out of conventional cages to either enriched cages, pictured here, or cage-free systems over a 15-16 year period.

The new Egg Bill, the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2013, was introduced on April 25 in the Senate by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.; and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine; and in the House by Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore; Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif; Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif; Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick, R-Penn; Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif; and Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif. Both the United Egg Producers and the Humane Society of the United States heralded the introduction of the legislation into the current Congress.
“Most egg farms are family-owned, independent businesses, which provide an essential low-cost source of protein to 300 million consumers every day,” said Chad Gregory, president of United Egg Producers, which represents farmers producing 95 percent of the eggs in the United States. “We desperately need a federal statute that establishes one national standard of egg production, because the current myriad state legislation threatens to eliminate interstate egg commerce, destroying our businesses and potentially leading to egg shortages and consumer price spikes in many states,” he added. “This would create a major hardship for millions of low- and middle-income consumers.”
The proposed legislation outlines a minimum national standard for egg production and hen housing in the U.S. in place of contradictory state laws. The legislation is nearly identical to last year’s bill and will require egg farmers to essentially double the amount of space allotted per hen and make other important animal welfare modifications during a tiered phase-in period during the next 15 to 16 years—except in California, where Proposition 2 will require all hens to be out of conventional cages by January 1, 2015.
The Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2013 would:


• Require conventional cages to be replaced during an ample phase-in period with new, enriched colony housing systems that provide each egg-laying hen nearly double the amount of current space
• Require that, after a phase-in period, all egg-laying hens be provided with environmental enrichments such as perches, nesting boxes and scratching areas that allow hens to express natural behaviors
• Require labeling on all egg cartons nationwide to inform consumers of the method used to produce the eggs: “eggs from caged hens,” “eggs from hens in enriched cages,” “eggs from cage-free hens;” and “eggs from free-range hens”
• Prohibit feed- or water-withdrawal molting to extend the laying cycle, a practice already banned by the United Egg Producers Certified program
• Require standards approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association for euthanasia of egg-laying hens
• Prohibit excessive ammonia levels in henhouses except during short periods of adverse weather conditions
• Prohibit the transport and sale of eggs and egg products nationwide that don’t meet these requirements

Vion Food Group will sell its Ingredients division

Vion Food Group has plans to sell its Ingredients division, either partially or completely, in order to strengthen the company's financial position. The decision was made by the Board of Vion and the shareholder SLTO.
Preently, Vion Food Group, with a turnover of roughly €9.5 billion, is one of Europe's largest meat processors and for now has two main activities: Food and Ingredients. The two divisions will become completely separated operational, organizational and legal entities.
This decision to separate Food Ingredients relates to the fact that Food and Ingredients both serve different markets and clients with their own company strategies. While Vion Food focuses on the pork and beef market, Vion Ingredients delivers products like gelatin, proteins and fats which can be traced back in a lot of different end markets, such as food ingredients, feed ingredients, pharmaceutical industry, porcelain and even green energy. With the activities of Ecoson, Sonac, Rousselot and CTH, Vion Ingredients is serving a broad and varied spectrum of markets while aiming for sustainable leadership.
Although the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amiotorization were once again positive, the year 2012 has been rough for the holding. The problems, Vion officials said, started when the company didn't succeed to pass the increased purchase prices of pork and raw materials to the retailers and wholesalers and were further stimulated expanding too rapidly to various countries like Great Britain. With the sale of the Ingredients division, Vion wants to arrive at a reduced debt position. A new co-shareholder will be sought to assist in additional progress and growth for Ingredients that already has a strong, healthy financial and organizational basis. 

International Poultry Council stresses food products are safe

Even though a new strain of Type A H7N9 influenza that apparently originated in a live bird market in China has infected more than 100 Chinese people, consumers can be confident in eating properly cooked poultry meat, according to the International Poultry Council.
The International Poultry Council, an organization comprised of poultry industry associations from more than 20 major poultry-producing countries around the world, is closely monitoring developments in China regarding the spread of this new strain of Type A H7N9 influenza. Numerous human cases have occurred and have resulted in at least 10 deaths, most of which occurred in people who were exposed to the virus by handling infected birds.
Thus far, Chinese authorities have worked diligently and vigorously to contain the spread of the virus, have closed live bird markets in Shanghai and in other affected areas, and have destroyed infected birds. Although Chinese officials have found no Type A H7N9 influenza infections in any commercial poultry farms or in poultry processing plants in China, the situation has caused many consumers in China to refrain from eating poultry products. This anxiety among consumers has cost the Chinese poultry industry millions of dollars in lost sales as a result.
The World Health Organization and leading influenza experts agree that proper cooking is the best defense against foodborne illnesses, including influenza. In fact, Dr. Michael O'Leary, who heads the World Health Organization's office in Beijing, said he eats chicken every day.
Cooking to an internal temperature of 74 degrees Celsius destroys any residual viruses that may in the meat. In other words, there is no risk of contracting influenza from eating properly cooked poultry meat.
Chinese consumers can be assured that all poultry products they get in the market, regardless of origin, can be eaten safely when they are properly cooked.
"The global poultry industry has been impressed with the growth in per capita poultry consumption in China, which is eclipsing pork," said International Poultry Council President Jim Sumner. "In fact, since 1990, China's per capita poultry consumption has increased nearly five-fold, to more than 10 kilograms."
Sumner also said that, while poultry consumption dipped during previous influenza occurrences in China, consumers quickly realized that properly cooked and prepared poultry meat is safe, and consumption rebounded.
He said that the reaction of consumers to previous incidents prompted the International Poultry Council to adopt the slogan: "Poultry is safe. Just cook it.!"

Moark Farms fire results in chicken coop, chick losses

A fire at Moark Farms' facility near San Jacinto, Calif., claimed a chicken coop and about 100,000 chicks on the morning of April 24.
The fire was reported around dawn, and about two dozen firefighters found the chicken coop engulfed in flames when they arrived. Firefighters extinguished the fire within two hours and prevented it from spreading to another nearby chicken coop, according to an Associated Press report.

Irish pig farms facing PRRS outbreak

Ireland’s largest producer of pig semen is investigating how porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infected its boars, where the air entering the facility is filtered. As a precaution, pig semen is now being imported from Britain. 
Hermitage Genetics in Kilkenny, confirmed that three of its boars were found to have PRRSV. The disease was detected in the pigs at its quarantined artificial insemination station in Callan following testing. It is the first time blue ear has been found in the Hermitage’s pigs. Some commercial pig farms are implicated too.

Ohio Poultry Association honors industry members

The Ohio Poultry Association honored its 2013 award recipients April 5 at the organization's annual banquet in Columbus, Ohio. These awards recognize businesses, farms and individuals who have made significant contributions to Ohio's egg, chicken and turkey sectors.
The Ohio Soybean Council was the selection for the Industry Partner Award. The Ohio Soybean Council mission is to maximize the profitability of Ohio's soybean checkoff funds in targeted domestic and international research, promotion and communication initiatives. The Ohio Soybean Council has worked with the Ohio Poultry Association on an array of projects to advance and grow Ohio agriculture for several years.
The Legacy Award was presented to Cooper Farms of Van Wert, Ohio.  Cooper Farms was founded in 1938 by Virgil Cooper who raised approximately 300 meat turkeys mainly for the holidays. Today, Cooper Farms produces 4.6 million turkeys, 32 million dozen eggs and 105 million pounds of live-market hogs per year.
The company employs more than 1,550 people at four locations and works with nearly 300 family contract farms who help raise Cooper Farms' turkeys, hogs and chickens.
The Ohio Poultry Association's Golden Feather award is given annually to an individual who has distinguished himself or herself as a champion of livestock agriculture or poultry issues. The award was presented to Dr. Mo Saif, of Wooster, Ohio. He is recognized internationally as a leading researcher in the field of poultry diseases.
He began his 50-year relationship and career with The Ohio State University in 1965 as a research assistant. Through the years, he has held various positions within the university as a post-doctorate fellow, an assistant professor, and most recently served as the head of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center's Food Animal Health Research Program since 1993. Saif announced his retirement earlier this year.
The Golden Egg Award is given to an individual who has provided extraordinary service to Ohio's egg, chicken and turkey farmers. Connie Cahill, of Dublin, Ohio, received this year's award. She has been involved in consumer and agricultural initiatives for more than three decades, and, for many of those years, has represented the Ohio Poultry Association as a spokesperson.
The recipient of the 2013 Good Egg Award is Ralph Stonerock, of Marysville, Ohio.
Stonerock has worked in the poultry industry for more than 40 years. During this time he has held a variety of positions from managing a broiler complex and operating egg layer farms to marketing eggs and serving as a production superintendent for a feed manufacturing facility.